


The Inquisitor and Her Commander

by ZafaraFanfiction



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Anxiety Attacks, Break Up, Breaking the Fourth Wall, Bromance, Canon Divergence, Cussing, Depression, Drug Addiction, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fem!Lavellan/Dorian BROMANCE OF THE CENTURY (pet names included!), Getting Back Together, Marriage, Mental Breakdown, Multi, Near Death Experiences, Nightmares, POV Cullen Rutherford, POV Dorian Pavus, POV Inquisitor, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Platonic Soulmates, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Romantic Soulmates, Slow Burn, Smut, Strong Female Characters, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-27
Updated: 2019-08-01
Packaged: 2019-08-08 11:08:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16428218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZafaraFanfiction/pseuds/ZafaraFanfiction
Summary: Follow Arukyra Lavellan from her journey as humble First of Clan Lavellan to Inquisitor to savior of the world while she awkwardly attempts to court the Commander of of the Inquisition's military. Can a Dalish mage and an ex-Templar that needs a nap have a functioning, healthy relationship while trying to juggle titles and saving the world? We shall see! ((This work contains original as well as in-game events and dialog!))[Note: There is a version of this on FF.net but this is the version that will be updated with added slow burn and backstory!][Note note: Canon is just a suggestion and if I don't like what happens I'll make my own!]





	1. The Wrath of Heaven Part 1

_I don't remember...._

The sting of magic from her left palm surged through the elf's arm as her face twisted in agony.

_How did I get here? Where am I? I was at the Conclave.... Turalyon warned me to be careful....Turalyon._

The elf sighed as tears threatened to pour from her lavender eyes. She tried to shuffle her weight when the scraping of chains against cobblestone sparked dread in her chest. She looked down at her hands and a pair of iron handcuffs draped heavily across her wrists. The elf wiggled against her leg restraints in order to sit propped up on her ankles.

_I am Arukyra... no I'm Ruki, Arukyra is dreadful, of Clan Lavellan. Keeper's first and her adopted daughter. Turalyon is my twin brother._

Ruki stared at the floor. She closed her eyes and tried to recall facts about herself. Her favorite color, her favorite animal. She called upon childhood memories. Memories of the vallasilin honoring Ghilan'nain being inscribed into her face in deep violet ink. No matter how hard she thought, how frantically she searched in her brain, she could not recall the events between Turalyon's warning and waking up in chains. The elf glanced around her surroundings. Her cell was large and dark save for a pair of braziers outside the door. The young elf had never felt so alone. She hung her head in despair as a single tear ran down her cheek onto her hand.

_I was running... I remember now... I was running and things were chasing me. There was a woman._

Her palm roared with pain as her eyebrows screwed together. It sparked and hissed, a green energy ripping out of it as her hand balled into a fist. It felt as if her own hand was trying to kill her. A gasp escaped her as she pressed her hand under her knee and put pressure on it. Anything to stop the pain.

The cell door flung open and four armed guardsmen appeared and circled her, blades drawn.

"Where am I?! What's going on?! What did I do wrong!?" the elf cried out to them in the Common tongue as tears spilled from her eyes. "I don't understand why I'm here."

"Enough."

The Command caused the guards to sheath their blades, but still stand firmly in a circle around her. That accent was thick and heavy, similar to a Fereldan one but with more ferocity behind it. Perhaps it was a Nevarran woman that had entered the cell unbeknownst to the elf. She had short black hair with a single braid wrapped around the crown of her head. She wore mostly leather armor save for her red undershirt and a dull silver breastplate with a foreign symbol painted in black and white on its front. Must be related to the Chantry. Another woman appeared behind the Nevarran, quiet and observing, with fiery red hair wearing chainmail and a violet hood. Ruki glanced to the floor as the Nevarran woman circled her, like a lioness sizing up her prey. Ruki's eyes snapped up towards the redheaded woman stepping closer and the voice of the Nevarran woman hissing in her ear.

"Tell me why we shouldn't kill you now, elf."

_Mythal watch over me._

"The Conclave is destroyed," the Nevarran continued, finishing her circle and standing beside her redheaded companion. "Everyone who attended is dead, all except for you."

_No... Turalyon... it can't be.... Gods no...._

Tears poured down Ruki's cheeks as she looked up to the two women before her. "What do you mean by that!? What do you mean everyone's dead!!"

The Nevarran woman snatched the elf's left wrist from under her knee and held it before her. "Explain this then."

As if on command her palm sizzled with energy which caused more tears to run down Ruki's cheeks. "I can't!" the elf cried out as her hand felt like is was on fire.

The Nevarran growled before dropping the elf's wrist. "What do you mean you can't!?!"

The tears continued to fall as the elf sniffed and whimpered. "I, I don't even know what this is or how it even got there!!"

The Nevarran's hand flew to the sword on her hip as she proceeded to unsheathe it. **"YOU ARE LYING!"**

The redhead intervened, placing her hand on Cassandra's arm. "We need her, Cassandra," her accent was Orleasian.

"All those people.... Turalyon... dead...." Ruki whimpered as she rubbed her shoulder against her cheek in a vain attempt to dry her tears. 

The Orleasian stooped down to Ruki's level as Cassandra let out a grunt. Shaking her head, the redhead proceeded to produce a handkerchief and lightly dabbed at Ruki's cheeks and eyes. "Do you remember what happened?" the Orleasian said as she rose back to her feet and tucked her handkerchief away. "How this all began?"

Ruki's brow screwed in thought as she tried to desperately to remember. "I was running, and these things were chasing me. And... a woman?"

"A woman?" the redhead repeated as her hands rested on her hips. 

"She reached out to me... and then," Ruki let out an exasperated sigh as she looked up at the two women before her and shook her head. "I can't remember anything else. You have to believe me."

The pair of women looked at each other and sighed before Cassandra began to speak again. "Go to the forward camp, Leliana. I will take her to the rift."

_The rift?_

Leliana gave a curt nod as she headed out the cell door, the four guardsmen hot on her heels. Cassandra knelt down, producing a brass key and started to unlock Ruki's ankle clasps.

"Tell me," the elf whispered to Cassandra. "What did happen?"

Cassandra's brown eyes pierced through Ruki as her gaze snapped upwards at the question. She let out a sigh as the last clasp came undone and the Nevarran helped the elf to her feet. "It... it would be easier to show you than to try to explain."

Ruki sheepishly followed on the heels of the Nevarran woman. She glanced about the various empty cells and dim torches lining the walls. Ruki opened her mouth to ask more questions but instead she firmly pursed her lips together as they made their way up the narrow stairwell. Cassandra had whispered something quietly to a guard as he nodded and stepped aside. The woman heaved a heavy wooden door open, the light was nearly blinding the elf as she held up her arms to shield her eyes as she blindly followed the sounds of Cassandra's clanging chainmail. The elf blinked against the sun and snow as her eyes drew upwards at a faint green light in the skin. Ruki's eyes widened and her jaw went slack. It looked like the sky had cracked open as a massive green tear split the sky. Magic swirled down to the ground below it, boulders and various other debris caught in the vortex. The mark, or whatever it was, pulsed in rhythm with her heartbeat as she stared at it.

"We call it the Breach." Cassandra's harsh voice broke Ruki's trance. "It’s a massive rift into the world of demons that grows larger with each passing hour. It is not the only such rift, just the largest one. All, however, were caused by the explosion at the Conclave."

Ruki blinked in surprise as her gaze shifted from the sky to the woman before her. "Can an explosion really do that?"

The woman folded her arms. "This one did. And unless we act now, the Breach may grow until it swallows the world." Cassandra's attention turned to the sky as the Beach roared and stretched, meteors pouring from it and smashing into the ground miles away.

As if being challenged, Ruki's mark spasmed and sparked. The elf cried out as her fist clenched into a tight ball as she fell to her knees. She took her right hand and cupped it over her left and held her aching hand close to her body. She panted through gritted teeth as she swore in Elven, praying to the Gods to just make it stop. 

Cassandra knelt down in front of her and took Ruki's marked hand in her gloved hands and studied the green tear-like mark that ripped through her left palm with a concerned frown. "Each time the Breach expands your mark spreads," with a heavy sigh Cassandra continued. "And unfortunately, it is killing you. It may be the key to stopping this, but there isn’t much time."

Ruki looked up at Cassandra through the tears that welled in her eyes. "What do you mean by 'may be the key'? The key to what exactly?"

Cassandra's eyebrows slanted in a half-scowl. "Closing the Breach. Whether that’s possible is something we shall discover shortly. It is our only chance, however. And yours."

Ruki gritted her teeth, partially from pain and annoyance. “My only chance? You still think I did this? To myself even?!”

Cassandra's scowl deepened. "Not intentionally," she growled. "Something clearly has gone wrong."

"And if I'm not responsible? What then?" Ruki's brows scrunched together, in a mocking attempt to match Cassandra's intense expression. She may not have any recollection of what transpired at the Conclave but she knew her character, at least she thought she did. Ruki knew deep down in her soul she would **NEVER** hurt another living soul, let alone hundreds of humans or her own brother in that matter. She may be a mage, but she knew she was good. She would never--

Cassandra injected herself in Ruki's internal monologue by speaking in her harsh tone: "Someone is, and you are our only suspect as of now. You wish to prove your innocence? Fine, however this is the only way you truly can!"

Ruki's amethyst eyes searched Cassandra's for any sign of emotion. The Nevarran radiate her intense passion to do what's right, to find who was responsible. Somewhere, Ruki found comfort and understanding in that. The elf knew if something had happened to the Clan she would be just as aggressive and determined to find who was responsible, as Cassandra is doing now. With a small nod, Ruki spoke up. "I understand."

Cassandra's expression laxed slightly to a more neutral one was her eyebrow quirked up in surprise. "Then?"

"I'll do what I can, whatever it takes," Ruki swallowed the lump forming in her throat. "Even if it kills me."

Cassandra seemed to approve of this answer, given how the corner of her mouth twitched up in a smirk. She rose to her feet and with a powerful grab, clamped onto Ruki's arm and helped her back up to her feet. The woman nodded her head down the path as she turned and continued, Ruki followed in close pursuit, nearly on top of the other woman. 

Commoners were hissing and spitting curses at her, scowling intensely as Cassnadra pulled the lithe elf closer to her and in front of her. The warrior even dislodged the shield strapped to her back and reflexively blocked some produce and eggs being thrown at the small elf.

"Enough!" the Nevarran barked. "Get back to readying yourselves. All of you!"

With their faces and hearts still full of hate, the commoners dispersed back to their duties of mending cloths and tents and making count of rations and medical supplies.

Ruki glanced back at the woman behind her and gulped. "Why do they hate me? They think I did this too?"

Cassandra's face was somber while she reattached her shield to her back. "They have decided your guilt. They needed to. The people of Haven mourn our Most Holy." Cassandra escorted Ruki farther out of the village as they started to approach a massive stone and wooden gate that lead out into the wilderness, and possibly to this Rift Cassandra had mentioned. "She is... was... head of the Chantry. The Conclave was hers. It was finally a chance for peace between the ever-warring mages and templars. She brought their leaders together. But now," The Nevarran halted, her tone growing as somber as her expression. "Now they are all dead." Cassandra glanced upwards at a soldier standing in a guard tower and nodded. The soldier returned the nod and disappeared deeper into the tower as the massive gates creaked open. With a heavy sigh she lead the elf down the bridge as she continued. "We continue to lash out at each other like the sky. But we must think beyond ourselves, as she did. Until the breach is sealed at least." Cassandra turned the elf to face her, eyeing the cuffs that still bound her hands. She reached into her pocket and pulled the brass key from earlier and started to unlock the cuffs. "There will be a trial. I can promise no more, or whether they'll decide you guilty or innocent."

Ruki rubbed her wrists as the cuffs clattered to the stone bridge. She looked at the woman in almost disbelief. "Why are you doing this? Where are you taking me?"

Cassandra's answer was cryptic. "Come now, it's not far. We must test your mark on something smaller than the Breach itself first."

Ruki's gaze shifted back to the Breach and watched it swirl and billow. Her brow scrunched together as she seemed to be challenging it. What ever it takes. Her gazed shifted back to Cassandra and her true nature returned to her as a cocky half smirk spread across her lips. "Lead the way then, Cassandra."

_I had always complained my life was dull anyways. Adventure awaits me over that mountain ridge._


	2. Wrath of Heaven Part 2

Ruki let the human pass her and followed closely behind. She thought she could run for it. She could simply leap from the bridge and never be seen again. As the pair slowly strolled down the bridge, the elf's true conscience took over after seeing the effects these "rifts" had been having on the outside world.

Three wounded soldiers leaned with their backs against the railing, making light-hearted small talk amongst themselves about "the ending of the world" while a Chantry sister bandaged and cleaned their wounds. A fellow Chantry sister recited the Canticle of Exaltations to a small gathering of peoples, poor and rich and elf and human alike, as they clutched their hands in prayer so tightly their knuckles were white:

>   
>  _"All sins are forgiven! All crimes pardoned!_   
>  _Let no soul harbor guilt!_   
>  _Let no soul hunger for justice!_   
>  _By the Maker's will I decree harmony in all things._   
>  _Let Balance be restored and the world given eternal life."_   
>  _-Exaltations 1:1-1:14_   
> 

The dead, oh the blood-soaked canvas-draped forms that piled up along the sides of the walls as Chantry members marked down with ink and parchments names, whispering prayers to their souls and families as they re-draped their faces in canvas.

  
Ruki's heart and her stomach twisted as she and Cassandra made their way to another gate. With a commanding bark from the Nevaran, the two guards nodded and heaved the door open and allowed the pair to pass through before the door squalled shut again. They headed down the path, past rows of defensive walls and causalities being dragged to safety. Wagons were overturned and burning as mage and Templar bodies alike reddened the snow.   
  
The elf never understood why the Templars and pretty much everyone feared mages and their magic. Abominations and maleficar were only born from mages being cornered. Dogs weren't feared for biting when they were cornered, but granted, a dog couldn't kill hundreds of people by blowing up a chantry or conclave with raw energy. Her hand balled in on itself as her palm tore and pulsed as the Breach in the sky swelled. She collapsed into the snow as she held her hand tightly, angry tears burning her cheeks.  
  
"Make it stop, make it stop!!" she cried out as the human knelt down and helped the elf back to her feet.  
  
She hushed the elf in an awkward, calming tone as she cooed, "I know." Her harshness returned as she continued to speak. "The pulses are coming even faster now. As the Breach continues to grow larger, more rifts appear. And the more rifts appear, the more demons we face."  
  
Ruki's eyes found their way back up to the Breach. "How did I survive the explosion?" she said almost mindlessly as if the Breach had enthralled her. Her hand still pulsed in rhythm to her heartbeat, but with constant stretching and curling of her fingers the pain slowly eased.  
  
Cassandra let out a sigh as she helped the elf continue down the path, as if she were unable to do it on her own. "They said that you stepped out of a rift, then fell to the ground unconscious. They also mention a woman was in the rift behind you, which seems to confirm your story luckily for you." Once Cassandra was confident the elf could walk on her own, she released her grip on him as the pair continued their jog through the snowy valley. "No one knows exactly who she was. Everything farther in the valley was laid waste, including the Temple of Sacred Ashes. I suppose you’ll see soon enough."   
  
Mage and Templar corpses lay half-buried in the snow, most likely thrown back by the massive explosion.  
  
_We're all alike in death, I suppose._  Ruki thought as she tailed the Seeker in front of her. She shoved her hands in her trouser pockets and went back to looking up at the Breach. It was, beautiful in its own way. The way the green faded and shimmered against the sky was breathtaking, yet it caused so much harm and destruction. As she looked at it the Breach belched up another meteor that spiraled towards the bridge as they stepped onto the icy cobblestone. "Look out!" the elf cried as she charged the Seeker and shoved her off balance as the meteor slammed into the bridge.   
  
The elf and human tumbled onto the frozen riverbed with the rubble as the pair skidded to a stop on the ice. As Cassandra started to rise to her feet, a smaller meteor plummeted into the ice and a Shade materialized from a pool of sickly green light. The creature hissed and spat as Cassandra snarled back her challenge. "Stay behind me, elf!" the Seeker called out as she lunged into battle, slashing with ferocity at the creature.  
  
Ruki watched the warrior in awe as a ripple of green light formed as another Shade twisted and screeched its way into reality. The elf skittered backwards on her trying to get herself away from the monster. Panic ripped through her as her back hit the collapsed bridge, as her mouth opened to cry out for help a plain wooden staff tumbled above and clattered onto the frozen river. The elf quickly snatched it as she rose to her feet. The elf hissed as she dug the tip of the staff into the ice. "You want me?" she smirked as the creature hissed its reply and lunged for the elf. "Then come and get me!" The elf twisted on her heel striking the tip of the staff along the ground as blue energy started to spiral its way from her hands, down the staff, and into the ice below. With a cry, the elf flicked her staff upwards as a wall of ice spikes rippled their way from the feet of the mage and impaled the Shade. The creature bellowed out in pain as it slumped against the spikes, a green ichor dripping from its chest and maw.  
  
As the elf breathed a sigh of relief, leaning against the staff she was met with the ichor-stained tip of Cassandra's sword in her face once more. A snarl hardened the Nevarran woman's face as she hissed: "Drop. Your. Weapon." With more bite to her voice, she spat. "NOW!"  
  
Ruki huffed. "Alright." The elf loosened her grip on the staff and allowed it to clatter to the ice below. "Have it your way. I'll disarm."  
  
The Seeker gave the elf a hardened look before she let out an exasperated sigh and sheathed her blade. "Wait," she started as she leaned down to pick the staff up off the ice. She twirled it in her hand before she handed it back to the mage. “I cannot protect you at all times, and I cannot expect you to be defenseless." She gave an off half-smile as the elf took the staff from her. "I should remember that you agreed to come willingly, and that you could have attacked me at any moment with your magic." Cassandra reached into her side pouch and pulled out some small vials of red liquid. "Take some healing potions, Maker knows what we'll face."  
  
Ruki gave a quick nod in thanks as she pocketed the vials in her jacket. Digging the tip of her staff into the ice, she leaned against it lazily as she allowed her eyes to travel around the road ahead. Her brow quirked upward at a sudden realization. Ever since the pair started to grow farther away from the safety of Haven the soldiers had become sparser. "Cassandra, where are the rest of your soldiers? Back in town you had enough supplies there for an army."  
  
Cassandra let out a short laugh. "You must have never seen a real army for then, as for your question, they are at the forward camp, or fighting. We are on our own, for now."  
  
The pair continued up the paths, more demons fell from the sky and fell quickly to Cassandra's might and Ruki's magic. They powered up the hill and the elf stopped near the top, her eyes narrowing in concern. "It sounds like someone's fighting."  
  
Cassandra let out a huff as she strode past Ruki. "No wonder you can hear the fighting, we're getting close to the Rift now."  
  
Ruki followed Cassandra and took large strides to catch up to the human. "And exactly who's fighting?"  
  
Cassandra almost sounded annoyed in her reply. "You’ll see soon enough. We must help them."  
  
Their pace quickened back to a jog, then to a sprint as the pair turned a corner. Cassandra hissed a battle cry as she charged into a demon and impaled it on her blade. Ruki stood in place for a moment and stared at the Rift in shock and awe.  
  
It was a massive tear in reality itself, shimmering in the same sickly green light as the massive Breach in the sky. She could an apocalyptic scene through the tear as more demons roared and poured from it.  
  
"PRISONER!" Cassandra cried out as she pulled her blade from a demon's chest, its ichor spattering over her breastplate and face. "HELP US!"  
  
Ruki gripped her staff tightly as a snarl rumbled in the back of her throat. She ran into the fray, dragging her staff along the ground and as graceful as her people were, she used her momentum to spin on her heel, still dragging her staff, and sent a wave if ice spikes across the battlefield. If they didn't hit their mark, they surely created a barrier between the four strangers--two soldiers, a dwarf, and an elven apostate--fighting and the demons. She hissed in her tongue, the Elven language, as the tip of her staff became sharpened with an icy blade ash she leapt over the wall and plunged her staff into the chest off another demon. It screamed and gurgled as it tried to claw at Ruki before it finally succumbed to its injury. As Ruki went to stand, she felt someone grab her wrist. She turned briefly to see it was another elf, the other mage fighting along side them. He was bald, with an angular face dressed in green padded armor with a pack on his back and a wolf's jaw bone hanging from his neck.  
  
"Quickly!" the male elf hissed as he pulled Ruki to her feet. "Before more come through!" He held her left hand to the Rift and a green energy shot from her palm and into the massive tear. Slowly, like someone mending clothes, the Rift seemed to sew itself shut. Ruki's hand burned as a single tear fell down her cheek. It felt like the reverse of magic leaving the palm of her hand. The Rift sputtered one last green ember before it was finally closed, gone without a trace like it had never been. As soon as the male elf released Ruki's wrist, she childishly waved the air in front of her where the Rift had been. It was gone, truly.  
  
Ruki turned to the male elf with a quizzical look on her face. "What did you do?"  
  
A smug look appeared on the male's face as he placed his hand on his chest. "I did nothing," he gestured to Ruki. "The credit is all yours."  
  
Ruki looked down at her palm and stare at in awe. "I, I closed that thing? How?"  
  
The elf gave a smug smirk before speaking. "Whatever magic opened the Breach in the sky also placed that mark upon your hand. I theorized the mark might be able to close the rifts that have opened in the Breach’s wake--and it seems I was correct."  
  
Cassandra interjected herself upon the two elves' conversation. "Meaning it should be able to close the Breach itself."  
  
The elf's gaze drifted to Cassandra momentarily. "Possibly," he replied. His gaze shifted back to Ruki. "So it seems you may hold the key to our salvation."  
  
Ruki felt the weight of the world crash down on her. She just wanted to get away from her Clan for a few days, maybe a fortnight at the most, then go back home to lounge in a tree and read a book until the next time she was needed for Clan duties or was itching for an adventure. Now it seemed she was going to be stuck with these people until her hand can figure out how to get miles in the sky and close the hole in it or until it burst and ripped reality apart. A lump got stuck in her throat as she tugged her collar.  
  
A hardy laugh from the dwarf as he slung his crossbow across his back broke his silence. "Good to know! Here I thought we’d be ass-deep in demons forever." The dwarf has fiery red hair pulled back into a small ponytail and no beard, which was odd for his race. He work a long coat, opened, with the two two buttons of his undershirt undone. His grey gaze shifted to the nervous elf and offered her his hand. "Call me Varric Tethras: rogue, storyteller, and occasionally unwelcome tag-along." Varric's gazed shifted to Cassandra and he winked at her, before chuckling at the scowl and burned back at him. "And you would be? I'm going to assume you name's not Prisoner, kid."  
  
"Ruki Lavellan, nice to meet you," Ruki replied quietly, taking Varric's hand and shaking it firmly.  
  
The elf nearly through his head back in laughter. "You may reconsider that statement in time, Lavellan."  
  
Varric chuckled. "Aww. I’m sure we’ll become great friends in the valley, Solas."  
  
_So the elf's name is Solas. What parent would name their child "Pride"?_ Ruki gaze had drifted to Solas momentarily before shifting back down to Varric.  
  
Varric smiled before his gaze shifted to Cassandra. "Seeker did you even bother to ask her name before you dragged her half-way up a mountain?"  
  
"I," Cassandra's cheeks and ears burned red as her gaze hardened and shifted to the ground. "There were more pressing matters, I apologize, Ruki."  
  
"I understand," Ruki chuckled halfheartedly. She eyes Varric and Solas questioningly as her brow arch upwards. "So are you with the Chantry, or?" Ruki's voice trailed off as the other elf proceeded to crack up.  
  
“Was that a serious question?” he snickered at her.  
  
Varric shook his head. "Technically I’m a prisoner, just like you."  
  
"You are not a prisoner!" Cassandra interjected. "I brought you here from Kirkwall to tell your story to the Divine. Which, clearly, that is no longer necessary."  
  
Varric chuckled. "And yet, here I am. Lucky for you, considering current events," the dwarf shook his head. "Wait until Curly gets a hold of this. I don't even think he knows our new friend woke up, or is a mage for that matter."  
  
Ruki flinched. "Is your friend a Templar?"  
  
"Don't worry, Curly's like one of those yappy Orleasian lapdogs. All bark and no teeth," Varric confirmed. "That is assuming your surname doesn't start with an H and end with an -awke."  
  
Ruki's eyes darted around before they landed on Varric's crossbow. She couldn't just stand there in silence so she said: "That’s a nice crossbow you have there."  
  
Varric clicked his tongue before he let out a low whistle. "Isn’t she? Bianca and I have been through a lot together."  
  
Ruki's eyebrows twitched up in surprise. "So you named your crossbow?"  
  
"Of course!" Varric said cheerily. "And she’ll be great company in the valley."  
  
"Absolutely not!" Cassandra barked, her hands going to her hips. "Your help is appreciated, Varric, but--"  
  
"But," Varric repeated. "Have you been in the valley lately, Seeker? Your soldiers aren’t in control anymore. You need me, and all the help you can get."  
  
Cassandra sighed in disgust as she folded her arms.  
  
Solas turned his attention to Ruki and smiled. "My name is Solas, if there are to be introductions. I’m pleased to see you survived."  
  
"Translation," Varric teased. "He's saying he kept that mark from killing you while you slept."  
  
Ruki looked down at her hand. "Thank you," she said quietly before her gazed shifted up to the other elf. "You know about my Mark? You sure seem to know a great deal about it."  
  
Cassandra seemed to answer Ruki instead. "Like you, Solas is an apostate."  
  
"Technically," Solas held up one finger in a 'I'm correcting you' manner. "All mages are apostates now, Cassandra." He clasped his hands and folded them behind his back. "My travels have allowed me to learn much of the Fade, far beyond the experience of any Circle or Dalish mage. I came to offer whatever help I can give with the Breach. If it is not closed, we are all doomed regardless of its origin."  
  
Ruki arched her brow.  _Someone seems full of themselves. Hope he doesn't drown the next time it rains._ “And what will you do once this is all over?" Ruki finally responded.  
  
Solas' eyebrows twitched as a confident smile appeared. “One hopes that those in power will remember who helped, and who did not.” His gaze shifted to Cassandra. "Cassandra, you should know: the magic involved here is unlike any I have ever seen." He motioned to Ruki with a sweeping gesture. "Your prisoner is a mage, but I find it difficult to imagine any mage having such power."  
  
Cassandra sat in silence for a moment, nodding to herself in thought before she started to mage forward. "Understood. We must get to the forward camp quickly."  
  
"I couldn't agree more," Varric snorted. "We've wasted so much time standing here, almost feels like a sorry author trying to cram some exposition in before the hero starts on their quest." The dwarf started to crack up at his own joke as Solas rolled his eyes.  
  
"Only fellow writers find your quips funny, Varric," Solas said coldly as he tucked his hands behind his back and followed Cassandra.   
  
Ruki couldn't help but to chuckle as Varric started to stride past her. The dwarf spun on his heel, walking backwards momentarily.  
  
"Bianca's excited at least!" he mused as he spun back and kept walking.  
  
"We must move! Quickly!" Solas called up the path at Ruki.  
  
As Ruki started her way after Varric, she heard Cassandra call out from down by the river bank.  
  
"This way, down the bank, Lavellan!" she called upwards. "The road ahead is blocked."  
  
Ruki slid down the slope on her side and landed with a huff. She eyed her three companions curiously as they waited for her. "I have no idea where we're headed," she confessed. "I was hoping Cassandra would lead the way."  
  
The Seeker let out an exasperated sigh before turning on her heel. "Very well, this way then."  
  
Ruki followed as the group moved forward. Her thoughts drifted towards Varric's mention of his friend "Curly". A toothless Templar? Those were two things that didn't go together, like water and oil. Maybe he was smart, just accepting a mage's aide during a dire time.  _Who knows?_  the elf thought as she followed Cassandra. Time will tell.   
  
_At least it can't get any worse from here._


	3. The Commander

The last of a pack of Shades fell to the mage and her companions as the elf leaned heavily on her staff. Her fingers tips were numb from the magic that sparked from her staff as she panted. She balled the sleeve of her jacket in her fist and dragged it across her brow and face to get sweat and demon gore off of her. Ruki took a deep breath and exhaled just as the Seeker had told them to keep moving, that they were almost to the forward camp.  
  
"So."  
  
Solas' voice caught the female elf's attention as she glanced in his direction. He strolled past her, hands clasped behind his back as he kept walking, barely giving Ruki a sideways glance before exhaling deeply through his nose. "You are Dalish, but so far away from the rest of your Clan. Why did they send you here?"  
  
Ruki's brow twitched. Sure, just admit to the complete stranger that you were sent by your mother to spy on the humans. That'll go over well. Instead, Ruki offered a quizzical look and replied: "What do you know of the Dalish?"  
  
"I have wandered many roads in my time," Solas began. "And crossed paths with your people on more than one occasion before."   
  
Ruki snorted a short laugh as she looked at Solas, shaking her head. "What do you mean by that? You act as if you're not an elf, they're our people."  
  
Solas let out an exasperated noise as he continued to look forward as the small group trekked on through the snow. "The Dalish I met had felt entirely different on the subject, da'len. When I offered to share what knowledge I had I was met with their aggression. Attacked for no greater reason than their own superstition."  
  
"Oh?" Ruki said, some venom starting to drip from her words. "Then I suppose you learned your lesson quickly to be cautious around our people."  
  
"Play nice you two," Varric teased. "If that's even possible for a pair of elves."  
  
The trek following the frozen river and through the hills, plucking off stray demons as they went, grew silent save for the sizzle of a spell, the swish of a sword, or the snapping of the band in Bianca. Ruki followed Cassandra with a hardened expression, deep in thought. Her mind kept drifting to that templar Varric had mentioned. The mage couldn't place why it bothered her so; she wasn't scared but if anything, she was curious. Templars were a foreign concept to her. She had seen very few in her lifetime, on occasion one would snoop around the camp but would promptly be shooed away by her mother. She and her brother had wondered into Kirkwall a few years ago, before the bullshit that happened with the Chantry bombing and Meredith loosing her mind. Her only face-to-face encounter with a templar.   
  
She vividly remembered that afternoon in the market. She was sitting on a crate while her brother combed through produce, the warm sun beat down on her freckled skin as the sea breeze whipped her hair. Her gaze shifted from face to face before a sharp whistle snapped her back to reality. She shifted on her rear as she turned to the man behind her and tensed at the logo painted on his breastplate. He was a templar, a stern looking man for his age; long stubble across his jaw and a head full of messy yellow curls. He peered at her with blazing amber eyes. His mouth twitched in a growl as he commanded her to get off the crate once more, his hand gripping instinctively to the hilt of his sword. Her words got stuck in her throat as she dug her dull nails into the box. Her brother had materialized next to her, gripping his sister's hand tightly as he pulled her down from the box and excused the pair with an apology before leading her out of the market. Turalyon had turned over his shoulder to see if the templar was following them, and the look of relief that washed over him when they didn't seemed to be followed. Her brother pulled her aside and smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and in a hushed whispered said to her their phrase:  
  
"Mala suledin nadas." Ruki hadn't realized she had spoken outloud until Solas' voice chimed in.  
  
"Indeed, we all must endure at whatever the cost," the male elf translated as he dug is staff into the snow to get up a rather steep hill.  
  
Ruki looked at Solas momentarily before her eyes darted back to the ground. He was right, in a sense, she must endure. Must survive. If anyone else were to survive the blast, Turalyon would have been the one to.  
  
"There's a name you have mention previously that I had forgotten to ask about," Cassandra sighed. "Who is Turalyon to you?"  
  
Ruki blinked in surprise. She pursed her lips together as her eyes darted around in thought. After a long moment of silence she finally spoke. "My brother," she said very slowly. "He... he was at the conclave and.... I don't know if he made it out..."   
  
Varric's face tensed. "That's rough, kid, I'm so sorry."  
  
Ruki shook her head in silence as she continued to walk. Her expression quickly tensed as she felt the magic of her Mark begin to flare again. She took a sharp intake of breath and clinched her wrist with her free hand. She whimpered through gritted teeth as she felt Varric's hand touch her mid-back.   
  
"Shit. You okay, kid?" he said, his brow drooping in concern as the Seeker seemed to answer for her.  
  
"She'll be fine. We have just a little further," the Nevaran said. "I know it must be difficult but it's for the best we keep moving."  
  
"And my magic cannot stop the mark from spreading any longer. We must hurry before it consumes her!" Solas huffed as he was the first to hasten his pace. Cassandra followed in pursuit, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword in case any more Shades were to attack.  
  
Varric stayed behind, having the elf drape her arm around his shoulders as he held on to her to help her keep her balance.  
  
Ruki eyed him as they started to catch up to Solas and Cassandra. So many had been sharp or rude to her the past several hours this small act of kindness nearly brought the elf to tears. She blinked hard to keep them from flowing down her cheeks as she asked with a shaky breath: "Why are you being so nice to me?"  
  
Varric chuckled. "Honestly? A good friend of mine referred to me as 'the cool uncle friend' and I cannot bear the thought of disappointing her by shattering that image of me."  
  
Ruki chuckled as they kept moving. "I bet your friend is tickled, you helping a Dalish apostate like she's an elderly woman crossing the road."  
  
Varric barked a sharp laugh. "I think you'd like her if you ever met her. She takes a certain wit to handle, and no that's not me saying she's an asshole but you just wind up getting use to it."   
  
Ruki chuckled as she propped herself back up on her feet. "I'm fine, I can stand now."  
  
Varric removed his hand from Ruki's back and they kept going. "So tell me then, kid, are you innocent?"  
  
Ruki shook her head. "I honestly don't remember, Varric."  
  
Varric exhaled through his nose and shook his head. "See that'll get you every time. You shoulda spun a story, kid," he wagged his finger as her as he went by.  
  
Cassandra rolled her eyes. "No that's what you would have done."  
  
Varric turned to Cassandra with a twinkle in his eye. "It’s more believable that way. Also, it's less prone to result in a premature execution."  
  
Before Cassandra had time to reply her face twisted into a scowl. "More demons!" she drew her sword. "Get ready!"  
  
"Allow me!" Ruki yelled as she gripped her staff. She took off in a sprint as the demons hissed and growled her direction. Ruki sneered at the electricity rolling off of her as the clouds darkened. Thunder rumbled softly as she lept into the air and dug her staff into the frozen earth with a yell. Lighting rolled from her hands and through the staff, it ruptured from the tip and in an instant, bouncing from demon to demon, the electricity caused them to hiss and gurgle before they popped. Ruki spun on her heel to avoid the shower of greenish-black demon blood and gore as she met the gaze from her companions.  
  
All three stood motionless, eyes wide and staring at her in a mixture of fear and awe. All were quiet, except a low whistle that escaped Varric. "Nice trick," he said. "Thought you only knew frost magic."  
  
Ruki beamed. "I know a little bit of everything."  
  
All seemed to acknowledge her abilities with a nod before Cassandra started to keep going forward. She sheathed her sword and looked up the mountainside with a sigh. "I hope Lelianna made it through all this," she turned to see the two elves and dwarf following her lead.  
  
Varric smiled, giving the Seeker's back a friendly pat as he went past her. "She's resourceful, don't worry about it too much."  
  
Solas was the next to speak up. "I suppose we'll see for ourselves at the forward camp, won't we? We're almost there."  
  
The group was back at their steady pace as their lungs filled with the smoke from burned corpses and wagons. More demons tumbled down the mountainside side until the party came across another rift. Solas and Varric had dispatched the Shades and Wraiths quickly enough while Ruki had effortlessly sealed the Rift again. The tired soldiers showered her with their gratitude as Cassandra ordered them to open the gates to the camp.  
  
Ruki let out an exasperated sigh as the gates creaked open to finally allow them entrance to the forward camp. The camp was small in size, a handful of tents and weapon racks that dotted the bridge. The female elf's nose wrinkled in thought. The way Cassandra went on about this camp made it sound like this was the Val Royeaux of military camps.  
  
The Seeker nodded them forward and led them past piles of loose supplies to Lelianna and a crotchety-looking old man that were bickering back and forth.  
  
"We must protect the soldiers, Chancellor Rodrick!" Lelianna protested with her brows drawn together in a stern look, her arms folded.  
  
The Chancellor shook his head. "I will allow no such thing!"  
  
Lelianna's expression darkened in determination. "The Dalish elf must get to the Temple of Sacred Ashes. It is our only chance to seal the Breach and end this!"  
  
The Chancellor waved a hand. "You have already caused enough trouble without resorting to this exercise in futility."  
  
"And how exactly have  _I_ caused trouble?" The Orleasian woman hissed.  
  
"You, Cassandra, the Most Holy--need I go on? Haven't you and your rag-tag group of misfits done enough already?" The Chancellor turned to her as she opened her mouth to speak. "Enough! I will hear no more of this!"  
  
Ruki grimaced as they all approached the table, she tried to hide behind Cassandra's bulk but the piercing gaze of the Chancellor found her. She tried to shrink away from him, something about him unsettled the elf.   
  
"There they are," he growled, gazing through Cassandra at the elf.  
  
Lelianna turned to the group and a relieved smile appeared on her face. "You made it! Chancellor, this is--"  
  
"Oh, I know who  _she_  is," Rodrick sneered. "As Grand Chancellor of the Chantry, I hereby order you to take this criminal to Val Royeaux to face execution."  
  
Ruki's eyes widened as a panicked gasp escaped her. The Seeker bristled at the noise and stepped further in between the elf and the Chancellor. " _Order me?!_ " she snarled. "You are a glorified clerk. A bureaucrat!"  
  
Rodrick returned the fierce expression. "And you are a thug who supposedly serves the Chantry!"  
  
Lelianna's voice and expression grew harsh as she turned to face the Chancellor. "We  _all_  serve the Most Holy, Chancellor, as you well know."  
  
Rodrick snarled, clearly exasperated with the quips from Lelianna. "Justinia  _is_  dead! We must elect her replacement, and obey  _her_  orders on the matter."  
  
"So," Ruki piped up from the safety of Cassandra. "Is it safe to say that no one is actually in charge here?"  
  
Rodrick whirled around to her, jabbing a finger at her. "You  _killed_  everyone who was in charge!" When the elf ducked back down behind the Seeker, the Chancellor returned his attention to the Nevaran. "Call a retreat, Seeker. Our position here is hopeless."

The Seeker let out a low growl. “We can stop this before it’s too late.”  
  
“How?!" Rodrick challenged. "You won’t survive long enough to reach the temple, even with all your soldiers.”  
  
 _“We must get to the temple!"_  Cassandra roared. "It’s the quickest route.”  
  
Lelianna shook her head. “But it's not the safest." She gestured to the mountains behind her. "Our forces can charge as a distraction while we go through the mountains.”  
  
"Even when we've lost contact with an entire squad on that path?" Cassandra shook her head, placing her hands on her hips. "It’s too risky.”  
  
The argument started to fizzle out in Ruki's ears as the Breach roared and crackled in the sky. She glanced down at her own hand as the mark sparked. It was odd, it didn't hurt, not like it had before. She curled the fingers on her left hand and tilted her hand. As the mark spread open, as the Breach did in the sky she could almost see the Fade through her own hand. The sound of Cassandra clearing her throat snapped her attention upwards.  
  
“How do you think we should proceed then?”   
  
Ruki's gaze narrowed at the Seeker, Chancellor, and Nightingale. “Now you’re asking me what I think?”   
  
 “You have the mark,” Solas reminded her before he leaned against his staff, pursing his lips together to watch the remainder of the argument.   
  
 “And you are the one we must keep alive," Cassandra sighed. "We cannot dictate how you decide how we should to do that, and since we cannot agree on our own…”  
  
Ruki paused in thought, momentarily. She was no military strategist, but as the First of her clan she knew a lot about taking risks. Cassandra was right, the mountain path would be dangerous. Sure, they could retrieve the missing scouts but warriors would do far better. It would be a careful and sustained assault on the temple. The soldiers would stand with her and her companions to ensure a safer arrival and to help push back whatever happened to be crawling around the temple. The scouts in the mountains could be lost, but also, they could just be held up until danger passed and they could return to safety, and if human scouts were anything like the elven ones she grew up with--  
  
"I say we charge," giving the Chancellor a challenging look. "I may not survive long enough for your precious trial." Ruki radiated with her Dalish pride as she strolled past him. "So, whatever happens--happens now.”

Cassandra stood back and watched her stroll away, shooting the Chancellor the same smug look. “Lelianna," she barked, shifting her gaze to the Nightingale. "Bring everyone left in the valley. Everyone.” Lelianna gave a curt nod and left the table as the Seeker, Apostate, and the Story-Teller caught up with Ruki.

“On your head be the consequences, Seeker," Roderick had called out to them, but his words had fallen deaf on the ears of the two women that had set off towards the temple. At once they were guard and captive--now they were allies, sisters in a mission to save their home and, most importantly, make the Chancellor eat his own words.  
  
-

The run to the Temple was a quick one, just up a small hill. They had passed the injured, mages and Templars alike. The sight gave Ruki hope, that if there were more mages and Templars that had survived the explosion that maybe, just maybe, Turalyon would have gotten away as well. The elf scanned the faces of the dozens of injured and let out a disappointed sigh that her brother was not among until her skin prickled. The smell in the air, the way her Mark pulsed. She knew what was nearby before Solas' voice called out to confirm her suspicions.

"Be wary!" he cried out, the tip of his staff starting to spark in his hands. "Another Fade rift is nearby.”

As the group barreled up the stairs to the Temple a fleeing soldier had tried to warn them about the rift as a meteor spiraled from the sky and crashed into the ground behind him, sending him plummeting down the stairs. Ruki wanted to look back and help the man but hissed to herself and crossed the doorway. She stood on the ledge that overlooked the courtyard. The small handful of soldiers that remained looked like they'd been fighting for hours, one had lost his footing to exhaustion and got the claws of a Shade in his neck. Another soldier blitzed a little too late and roared in anger as he bashed the Shade with his shield into a pile of shattered wooden beams. He charged towards the creature as it screamed and tried to free itself from the beams that impaled it.  
  
Ruki looked at her companions as they reached the ledge with her. "We have to help them, they're exhausted. They won't last much longer."

"Quickly then!" Cassandra barked as she hopped down the ledge and charged into the fray.  
  
Solas nodded in agreement. "If you wish to save them we must act as quickly as we can, the only way past is to seal that Rift."  
  
Ruki nodded as the three of them jumped down the ledge. She took off in a dead sprint for the rift, leaving the soldiers and her companions to do the fighting. Thunder roared in her ears like drums as she felt the sparks leap from her skin as she used her staff to vault over a Shade, smashing it in the face with the blunt end of as she skidded on her feet as she landed. The creature roared as she smirked, standing her ground as it lunged for her. Thunder billowed as a lightning strike smited the creature down to a pool of ichor. Was it careless and could have killed an ally? Maybe so, but it was fucking cool in her opinion. On her heel she spun around, and like before, held her marked hand to the Rift. Energy shot to her hand and the rift had slowly sewed itself closed. She left out an exasperated sigh as she put her hands on her knees. She could still feel the sting of the energy pulsing through her arm as Solas' voice called out to her from the courtyard.    
  
"Sealed as before!" he praised. "You're becoming quite proficient at this."

"Let's hope it works on the big one," Varric chuckled halfheartedly as he slung Bianca across his back. "And maybe you can use your neat staff trick to launch yourself into the sky to do it."  
  
She felt Cassandra's hand clasp her shoulder. "Well done," she praised.  
  
"Lady Casandra," a new voice rang in Ruki's ears as she shot straight up, like a soldier standing attention.   
  
Before the small elf, a burly yet agile looking man can sauntering towards the pair of women. His blond hair sweaty and darkened with soot that splotched the skin of his face. Whisky-colored eyes pierced the elf like arrows as he study her, as if deciding if she was a friend or foe. He sheathed his sword and kept on hand on the hilt as he dragged his arm across his brow, smearing the soot and demon blood even worse than it had previously been. The same vile ichor matted the fur of his mantle and stained his breastplate.  
  
Ruki felt her heart nearly stop, as the heat pooled in her cheeks and the tips of her ears drooped. She saw his mouth moving as he was talking to Cassandra but she wasn't hearing his words. Gods, he had to have been the most battleworn, dirty, exhausted human she'd ever seen before but his gaze--those beautiful eyes that reminder her of a bonfire on a warm summer night--had knocked her flat on her ass. She was for certain she had a dumb smile on her face as she wrung the bottom of her shirt in her hands. The muffled voice of Cassandra snapped her temporarily out of her infatuation with this man before her.  
  
"You were the one that has been closing the rifts in the valley, right?" she repeated, obviously she had tried to speak to her but she'd been looking at those beautiful amber eyes...  
  
 _FOCUS RUKI!!!  
  
_ The elf blinked and smiled. "Yes, I have been."  
  
Cassandra rolled her eyes. "Commander Cullen, this is Ruki Lavellan. The one you had brought back to Haven."  
  
 _I was in his arms and I was unconscious for it!? Stupid fucking explosion and this stupid fucking mark on my hand... GODS RUKI FUCKING FOCUS YOU'RE TALKING TO PEOPLE. ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE IS JUST REALLY PRETTY. FOCUS._  
  
"Then my congratulations were misplaced." Sweet Creators, his voice was like warm bread and honey. "I sure hope they're right about you. We've lost a lot of good men and women getting you here." Cullen's gaze had shifted to her. Ruki watched him glance her up and down but his expression stayed fairly neutral save for the slight twitch of a smirk on his lips near the--  
  
 _Oh fuck... he has a facial scar. OH FUCK. Just... focus. Arukyra Lavellan this man is talking to you and you will answer his question!!!_  
  
Ruki's gaze was completely enraptured in Cullen's eyes. She swallowed the lump in her throat. "Um.. you're not the only one hoping that, honestly."  
  
The smirk on Cullen's face grew ever so slightly larger as his eyebrows twitched upwards.   
  
 _Oh fuck._  
  
"We'll see soon enough won't we?" Cullen's attention shifted back to Cassandra. "The way to the temple should be clear now. Lelianna will try to meet you there."

 “Then we’d best move quickly," Cassandra lead the way forward. "Give us all the time you can, Commander.”

Cullen gave a curt nod, his gaze shifting to Ruki before facing towards his tired troops. “I will give you all I can. Maker watch over you--for all our sakes.” He made his way over to an injured soldier and helped her get steady on her feet. He cooed to her gently, reaffirming that he'll get her to safety as he helped her back up the ledge as he scaled up it himself.

Ruki watched him, cheeks still completely flushed when Varric poked her in the arm.   
  
"That's Curly," he whispered. "Now come on, you're gonna catch flies if you keep gawking at his ass like that."  
  
Ruki's eyes snapped back up to the Breach. She honestly couldn't tell if she was determined to seal it or if it were butterflies that were attempting to burst from her chest but she nodded and followed the three of them. She had no idea what would happen, what she would face further into the Temple. But...... sweet Creators that man was pretty.


	4. Reclamation

_Was the sun always this bright against the snow?_  
  
Cullen squinted against the sun and the light from the Breach as he lead his tired battalion back home to Haven. He thanked the Maker when Rylen had came through with a fresh round of soldiers to help that mage assault the Temple and relieved him of his duty. The Commander's muscles strained under the weight of his armor as he heaved against the door sealing off Haven. Guards babbling about the arrival of the Commander hurried to fling the door open as Cullen stumbled against the sudden movement, almost dropping to his knees. He grunted as he ran a messy hand through his hair to slick it back, further staining his blond hair greenish-black as he shrugged is cloak off and tossed it onto a nearby crate that a serving girl quickly scooped up. She'd offer to take his amour but he waved her away as he sat with a huff next to the unlit bonfire. He removed his gloves and breastplate and sat them on the ground next to him, leaving him in his sweaty once-white undershirt and brown trousers.  
  
"Commander, you have returned," the sweet voice of the Antivan ambassador Lady Josephine Montilyet called out behind him before her words got caught in her throat as he twisted to look at her. "My.. you seem....... disheveled."  
  
Cullen sighed and turned back to the unlit fire with a roll of his eyes.  
  
"I mean no offense," she twirled her quill as she sat down on the log across from Cullen, smoothing out the ruffles of her dress. "How.. how was it up in the mountains?"  
  
Cullen pursed his lips together in silence. He had no idea why the Lady Ambassador insisted getting to know him but, his mother after all did raise a gentleman. His eyes darted over to her and, very flatly, responded with: "Could have been worse."  
  
 _Master conversationalist you are, Rutherford._  
  
Josephine gestured at him with her quill. "Could have been? What can be worse than demons falling out of the sky?"  
  
Cullen snorted and shook his head. "Don't know," he said. "Hawke could be here."  
  
"I do not understand your animosity towards the Champion," Josephine sighed, shaking her head.   
  
"You obviously don't know her then," Cullen chuckled halfheartedly as his eyes glanced up to the Breach.   
  
It pulsed and rippled and shrank ever so slightly, but it was still very much open. The Commander shook his head and glanced down in thought. All past instincts were telling him that a mage was responsible. Magic was responsible. He watched mages destroy and corrupt Kinloch, watched on in horror as a single mage decimated the Chantry in Kirkwall, and now he was suppose to sit idly by and watch a mage supposedly seal the Breach in the sky. He tensed, but then he sighed. As much as magic unsettled him, he needed to remember the elven mage that healed him when he was deathly ill as a young man in Kinloch. Her raven hair tied in a braid as her dense green eyes studied him and her hands sparkled in her healing magic to knock out the ailment no herbs or potions could cure... how her decision to spare the mages of Kinloch infuriated him and re-established his admiration for her gentle spirit. The younger Hawke sister, as terrified as she was, still offered him a smile when he walked by and offered to talk to him about whatever books he had let her borrow from the library... how he left her cell door open so she could escape Meredith's wrath. Now this mage, so small and lithe, was going to risk her life to atone for something she may or may not have done.  
  
"Commander?"  
  
Cullen's eyes snapped over to Josephine and he responded with a "Hm?"  
  
"You met the prisoner--Dalish elf. What do you know about her?"  
  
Cullen shook his head and chuckled in exasperation. "I didn't exactly pull out pen and paper and interview her. She's... an elf... and a mage.... really short. Stares at people a lot."  
  
"Stares?" Josephine questioned. "Unless staring is a crime here in Ferelden I'm not sure what you mean."  
  
"What I mean," he continued. "I approached her and her eyes went blank. Like her spirit left her body and just a husk was standing there gawking at me. Her face was all red, like she was blushing!"  
  
"My, my," Josephine chuckled. "It sounds like someone was enamored with you at first sight."  
  
Cullen felt his cheeks heat up as he pursed his lips. "You're not as funny as you think you are."  
  
"Others find me to be a rather enjoyable companion," she teased.  
  
Cullen went to fire back at his colleague when the sound of lightning cracked through the air. All the eyes in Haven snapped to the Breach as a ball of green light spiraled upwards into the sky can collided with it. The shock wave from the collision disbursed the clouds and snow around the mountains as it traveled down towards the small village. The Breach started to emit a blinding white light as Cullen instinctively reached for a nearby shield and lept in front of the lady Ambassador. Pebbles kicked up from the shock wave clanged against the metal shield as the gale of wind slid him back mere inches.  
  
"I ... thank you, Cullen," Josephine's hand clutched her chest. "What was that?"  
  
"Unstable magic colliding with unstable magic," Cullen sighed. "The Breach remains open but... it's not spreading. It's even slightly smaller than before."  
  
 _Damn it._  
  
The plan was this mage was suppose to seal the damn hole in the sky, but Cullen had to admit that it looked less angry now. The ex-Templar tossed the shield away and tilted his head at the mountains.  
  
"I do hope she's alright," Josephine cooed from behind him.   
  
Cullen whirled around at her, brow scrunched together. "What do you mean by that? You assume her innocent?"  
  
"I," the Lady Ambassador sighed. "I'm not entirely sure. I wasn't there at the Conclave, but her actions under our supervision speaks louder to me than any accusation." She twirled her quill at Cullen. "She cloud have closed off and remained bitter and silent, but instead she showed remorse. She  _mourned,_ Commander. She willingly went with Seeker Pentaghast to help anyway she could, even if it meant losing her own life in the process. That doesn't speak to you at all?"  
  
"Speaks to me plenty," Cullen said. He softened momentarily. Eyes shifting down towards the ground. He was touched, in a way, reminded of his own youth of getting beaten in the alleyways of Honnleath protecting the younger kids from the village bullies. The source of his aspirations to become a Templar in the first place. In his heart, he honored the elf's attempt to redeem herself. But his decade of pain and exhaustion took hold and he simply replied: "A guilty conscience is capable of many things."  
  
Josephine frowned in response, shaking her head slightly at him. "You should," she began after a long moment of silence. "Clean yourself up. You look absolutely unkempt." She used her quill to gesture at him before she spun on her heel in the snow and headed back up the stairs.  
  
Cullen watcher her leave as a sigh rumbled in his chest. He ran a hand through his dirty hair and ruffled it to shake lose some soot. As sore as the Lady Ambassador was at him, she was correct in stating he needed to tidy his appearance up. He picked up his belongings and made his way through the small village and into the makeshift barracks. He nodded to some of the recruits to acknowledge them standing attention to his presence and disappeared into his quarters.   
  
His quarters were modest. A bed, dresser, mirror, and a wash basin were all that were in the room save for an old table he used as a desk in his vain attempt to keep his papers from littering the floors. The Commander neatly put his armor on the rack in the corner and pulled his sweaty undershirt over his head and tossed it aside to the floor. He eyed himself in the mirror cautiously, his nose wrinkling at what he saw. Without the lyrium he appeared much more sickly, his ribs just barely visible through his skin. He eyed his chest and arm hair--he was Ferelden afterall; they weren't those bald cats like Orlesians--and all the scars that peppered his chest. Scars from scraps as a child all the way up to the scar from Hawke's bow when an arrow ricocheted off of Meredith's armor and into his shoulder. He rubbed his stubbled chin as he approached the mirror. "What a mess you are, Rutherford," he scolded himself. He looked like he hadn't slept in weeks, which wasn't far from the truth. With a heavy sigh he began his grooming ritual--combing as much debris from his hair, rubbed that grease-stuff Leliana gave him though his hair to tame his curls, and shaved down his stubble to a five o'clock shadow--and by the end of it all he eyed himself in his mirror as he dried his face with a towel. "At least you don't look like you crawled out the woods now." He attempted to push an unruly lock of hair back into place but it kept falling back down and brushing against his forehead. He showed it his annoyance with a sharp breath upwards to make it move as he made his way to his dresser and pulled out a nicer-looking work shirt--dark red in color with a faded plaidweave pattern--and buttoned it closed. He sighed again, glancing into the mirror and dissatisfied with the man staring back at him. He would never admit it outloud, since Leliana would never let him live it down, but upkeeping his appearance made him feel something again. He'd looked so ragged for years he started to feel some pride in himself again.   
  
"One day at a time," Cullen reminded himself as he adjusted the collar of his shirt and slid a jacket on over it. "One day at a time." Varric had tried to be his friend, much to his dismay. From Hawke's crew, Varric has always been the one to annoy him the least, but the dwarf's attempts of encouraging him to slow down and take a breath fell on deaf ears. He slower he worked, the faster his past caught up with him. The nightmares, the bad deeds, the anger. He wanted to run from it all, and he ran by working himself into oblivion. He knew one day he would have to face it, and that terrified him. He wasn't concerned about seeking forgiveness, or wanting someone to pet his hair and tell him that it wasn't his fault because bad things happened to him. He understood he was in the wrong, even as he cursed the Hero of Ferelden for sparing the mages, he had always been in the wrong. The Inquisition was his moment to prove to the world he was more than an angry Templar, to prove himself he was more than just a sad man in a suit of armor and a sword. A knock on his door rattled the Commander out his train of thought. Cullen cleared his throat.  
  
"Yes?" he called.  
  
A very shy-looking runner of his pushed the door open and peered inside. "Lady Pentaghast and her party have returned," she said softly. "They brought the elf back, and she wanted me to inform you that she was ill and you are being summoned to the medical ward."  
  
Cullen arched his brow but nodded. He opened the door all the way and peered down at the much shorter runner. After looking at her for a moment, he barked: "Go back to your duties, soldier," and stepped past her and his face quickly screwed into an embarrassed expression.  
  
 _Damn it, Rutherford, you do not have to be so sharp all the time. No wonder most everyone here is intimidated by you._  
  
Cullen made his way to one of the cabins housing the ill and wounded and pushed the door open. He was met by Cassandra who greeted him with a curt nod.   
  
"She's alive," she started. "Barely, but she is breathing."  
  
"What happened?" he started. "In the Temple, the Breach isn't sealed."  
  
Cassandra nodded in acknowledgement. "The apostate suggests she wasn't powerful enough to seal it, but he believes she can be trained to be able to do so."  
  
Cullen snorted and shook his head. "You know how I feel about the magic of this Mark and the Breach already," he began, taking a step towards the comatose elf. "If anything pouring more magic into that thing will kill this poor girl." He instinctively reached down and brushed a lock of hair out of her face. He tensed. He wasn't sure why he felt the need to do that but the small gesture seemed to go unnoticed by the Seeker.  
  
She shuffled behind him. "So," she began awkwardly. "How are you feeling? Any headaches, have you been ill since yesterday morning?"  
  
"No, mother," he growled.   
  
"You ask me to make sure you do not die trying to ween yourself off of lyrium and you growl at me like an adolescent boy," she scolded as she folded her arms. "It is getting harder and harder to convince the Lady Ambassador and Sister Leliana that you are not dying when they see you lose your breakfast behind the barracks or go without sleep for three days."  
  
"Do we have to discuss this now?" Cullen spun around away from the elf to face the Seeker. "You're nagging me like someone's wife."  
  
"Maybe if you had one you would take better care of yourself," the Seeker smirked at Cullen's mouth agape at the gab at his love life.   
  
Cullen  finally managed to compose himself and retorted: "Besides, we're at war, I don't exactly have time to find a lover. They don't fall from the sky, you know?" He turned back to the elf and studied her cautiously. She seemed harmless enough but he heard stories about the Dalish mages and their stormcalling. He wondered if such power could store itself in such a small body. None of that matters, he supposed. He gazed down at her and his brow knotted in thought.  
  
Her ragged breaths, the way her face twitched, Cullen couldn't help but to feel sorry for her. He turned back to Cassandra and nodded towards her. "Make sure the healers take good are of her," he spot in a cool tone as he strolled past the Seeker and out the cabin door. He clutched the hilt of his sword tightly.   
  
Why did he suddenly care about this elf? Was it her age, the fact she was marked, or was it influenced by his soldiers whispering already about her being the Herald of Andraste? No matter, he had a duty to do and it wasn't going to be influenced by some elven mage.


	5. Toothless

  _A halla grazed peacefully in a meadow. Mist danced through sunbeams as the doe nibbled away, tail swishing in content. The halla's ears twitched at a sudden noise--a twig snapping in the distance--as a bulky white wolf emerged from the treeline, his eyes fixated on her as prey. The halla rose her head up, strong and proud, and challenged the wolf to do his best. As the wolf made strides towards the doe he cried out as he found himself in the jaws of a lion. The halla watched on as the lion shook the wolf and tossed him aside, challenging him with a mighty growl to step into the meadow once more. The wolf, severely injured with blood dripping through the fur around his neck, sulked back into the shadows of the trees._  
  
Ruki's eyes darted open as her chest heaved from her strange dream; she slowly looked around at her surroundings. Last she knew she was at the ruined Temple and now, she was tucked away in a cabin somewhere. She let our a sigh of relaxation. It was warm, her bundled in thick linens and the fire blazing in the fireplace, she could have easily fallen back to sleep. She shifted her gaze to the side and noticed a single half-dried thornless rose on her bedside table. She shifted up to look at it better, it had obviously been there for a day or so as she took it in her hand and gently traced a petal. Upon hearing the door rattle, she glanced up as she set the flower back on the table. The door slowly opened and out stepped an elven servant girl, humming to herself as she tended the fire. Ruki propped herself up on her elbows before fulling sitting up on her rear. She eyed the servant girl cautiously before clearing her throat.  
  
The other elf dropped the box she was holding and whirled around in fright. "Oh! 'M sorry! I didn't know you were awake! Swear it!"  
  
Ruki held her hand out in concern, cheeks and ears burning in embarrassment. "Why are you frightened?! What's happened here?"  
  
The elf's gaze darted to the ground as she fumbled with her hands. "That's wrong, wassnit? I said the wrong thing!"  
  
"I don't think so-?" before Ruki had time to finish setting up the rest of the way the elven servant fell to her knees.  
  
"I beg your forgiveness and your blessing. I am nothing but a humble servant!!" she pleaded. Her gaze snapped back up momentarily before it went back to the floor as Ruki arched her brow. "You’re back in Haven, my lady! They say you saved us! The Breach has stopped growing, just like the mark on your hand!! It’s all anyone has talked about for the last three days!"  
  
_Three days?_  
  
Ruki swung her feet around to the floor and stood up, smoothing out the dull, brown linen clothes someone exchanged her armor for while she was unconscious. "Are... are you saying that they're pleased with me?"  
  
The elven servant got to her feet, shaking her head. "I’m only saying what I heard! I don’t mean anything by it! Honest!" The servant made a break for the door. "I’m sure Lady Cassandra will want to know you’ve wakened. She said 'at once'!"   
  
"Wait!" Ruki called out to her. "Where is she?"  
  
"In the Chantry!" she called back. "With the Lord Chancellor! 'At once'!!" the servant slammed the door to the point it bounced back open.  
  
Ruki sighed, shaking her head. Her dull backpack caught her eye and she rushed to it, digging through the contents. Although it was clearly searched, nothing was missing. Even her halla doll from childhood was still neatly tucked inside. She lovingly stroked it's ear before refastening her pack and slinging it over her shoulder and pushing the door open. The elf shielded her eyes from the blinding sun as she stepped out of the cabin and into the streets of Haven.  
  
Ruki was in awe, the citizens seemed to halt their routines to watch her go by. They whispered among themselves, but the rage and untrustworthiness was replaced with curiosity.  
  
"That’s her! That’s the Herald of Andraste! They said when she came out of the Fade, Andraste herself was watching over her!"  
"Why did Lady Cassandra have her in chains then? I thought the Seekers were suppose to know everything."  
"It’s complicated.... We were frightened after the explosion at the Conclave."  
"It isn’t complicated! Andraste herself blessed her!"  
  
"That's her. She stopped the Breach from getting any bigger."  
"I heard she was supposed to close it entirely. Still, it’s more than anyone else has done. Demons would have had us otherwise."  
"There's still a lot of rifts left all over. Little cracks in the sky."  
"She can seal those, though – the Herald of Andraste."  
"Someone had better. You won’t seal those rifts with the Chant of Light."  
  
Ruki's brow quirked in confusion. The Herald of a human deity? How strange, surely they would assume that she would be the champion of Elgar'nan or even Mythal since she's a Dalish elf. She had been called worse things, and at least they stopped calling her knife-ear. Her mind flickered to the Commander from the other day and her face ignited in blush as she buried her face in her hands. His name had slipped from her mind but she vividly remembered those burning amber eyes that studied her so intently. A conversation that lasted two, maybe three, minutes left her completely helpless. Her eyes darted from face to face and she silently thanked the Gods he wasn't there as she pushed the doors of the Chantry open and made her way inside. The elf took notice of the two Chantry sisters whispering to as she went by.

"Chancellor Roderick says that the Chantry wants nothing to do with us."  
"That’s not Chancellor Roderick’s decision, Sister."  
"Most of the Grand Clerics died at the Conclave. Who will lead us now?"  
"Andraste didn’t have Grand Clerics telling her what to do, and she managed nonetheless."  
"You expect us to be like Andraste?"  
"Someone must."  
  
The elf's brow twitched in a rage. This Roderick, likely the one from before, was dragging her through the mud simply for breathing and taking down anyone who even thought about supporting her with her. She heard his harsh voice scolding Cassandra through a closed door as she put a hand on the doorknob. Her Mark buzzed against the cool metal as she took a deep breath and shoved the door open.  
  
\--  
  
Cullen eyed the lady Ambassador curiously as she paced his cramped office. "She's awake, shouldn't we be relieved with the news?"  
  
Josephine gave an exasperated sigh. "The Chantry will never acknowledge a Dalish apostate as any sort of Champion to Andraste!"  
  
"You don't believe what the soldiers are saying?" Cullen arched his brow, leaning back in his chair and twirling a throwing knife between his fingers.  
  
"I do believe, I really do," Josephine explained. "We weren't there when she fell out of the Fade. Chancellor Roderick is using this as an opportunity to sow fear into the minds of the people outside those doors and what happens then, hm?" Josephine rubbed her temples. "The elf gets shipped off to Val Royeaux where she hanged for being at the wrong place at the wrong time--"  
  
Lady Montilyet kept rambling about death and mayhem and whatever else, and she lost Cullen. The headache from all this talking at started to ring in his ears as he leaned farther back, the chair resting against wall as he kicked his feet up. "Josie you're doing that thing again where you ramble on about nonsense," Cullen sighed as he flicked the knife upwards and stuck it into the ceiling. His amber gaze shifted from the knife to the lady Ambassador. "You're working yourself into a panic for no reason. Take a moment to breathe. One lowly chancellor who wasn't even important enough to be invited to the Conclave is being an asshole, that's not grounds for her to get executed. You're smarter than this!"  
  
Josephine froze for a moment and turned to the Commander, the faintest of smiles on her face. She let out a chuckle before she replied with: "I would pay mountains of gold to hear you say that to his face." She made her way over to his desk and patted his boots off of it. "Were you raised in a barn, Ser Rutherford?"  
  
Cullen grunted when his feet hit the floor and the legs of his chair slammed into the stone. "Perhaps," he retorted. "I was born in Ferelden after all." The man rose to his feet as he tried to tuck an annoying loose lock of hair back into his pompadour that kept falling back into his forehead. "And I'll hold you to that promise." The Commander's gaze flicked over to the door of his office and sleeping quarters as Cassandra appeared through the door. All the Seeker had to do was nod.  
  
"She will help us then?" Josephine piped up.  
  
A genuine smile appeared on the Seeker's lips. "Eagerly. On this day, the Inquisition is reborn."  
  
\--  
  
A Seeker of Truth, an Antivan noblewoman, an assassin and rumored consort of the Hero of Ferelden, and an ex-Templar without a cause would seem the unlikeliest of leaders to the Daslish elf leaning in her chair, feet propped against the war table while she listened to them talk. Well, it was more like bickering. Back and forth on what to do in regards of keeping their new elven companion safe.  
  
"Shouldn't I have a say in my fate?" Ruki finally stood up from her chair and peered at the map. She picked up an intricately carved wooden castle and thumbed over the detailed brick pattern on the side. She lightly shook the carving at the four standing across from her. "So is this us?" Cullen confirmed her question as she smiled and set the carving back on the table-sized map. She felt the heat rising to her cheeks as she noticed Cullen's lingering gaze. The elf glanced back down at the map, clearing her throat, and pointed to the detailed drawing of Val Royeaux. "Maybe we should go talk to the person in charge, explain my innocence."  
  
The four others in the room grew silent, glancing at each other for a few moments before the Commander sputtered in laughter. "I mean no offense," he chuckled. "They're Orlesian, they execute first and ask questions later."  
  
Ruki frowned. "It's worth a try."  
  
Cassandra shook her head. "The people saw what you did at the temple, how you stopped the Breach from growing. They have also heard about the woman that was seen in the rift when we first found you. They believe that was Andraste."  
  
Leliana spoke up. "Even if we tried to stop that view from spreading–"  
  
"Which we have not," Cassandra interjected.  
  
Leliana gave the Seeker a sideways glance before returning her attention to the elf before her. "The point is, everyone is talking about you."  
  
"And that’s quite the title, isn’t it?" Cullen chuckled, his gaze studying the elf before him. "How do you feel about that?"  
  
_Gods to get that man to stop looking at me with those eyes._  
  
Ruki blinked, mind deprived of a coherent thought excluding the ones about what the Commander looked like under his nice white shirt. Her glance returned to the map, focusing on the blown ink lines around the drawings of towns and mountains.  
  
_How DO I feel about that?_  
  
The elf hadn't had a moment to think in what felt like days. The Herald of a human deity? Cullen might as well be the champion of Elgar'nan. It was all so confusing, and maybe it was all bullshit, but all she knew is someone was with her in the Fade and helped her escape. This "Andraste" obviously loved all, not just all those devoted to her, if that were the case. Now that was a cause the young elf could get behind. Not looking up from the map, tracing the Frostback Mountains with a fingertip, she gave a small exasperated chuckle. "It's not so bad, I guess." The elf felt brave enough to look at to meet the gaze of the man in front of her. Her brow twitched in confused as he glanced away from her. "Though, in all honesty, I'm not sure how to feel about all of this."  
  
"It - erm - it seems the Chantry decided that for you already, Lavellen," the Commander shifted his posture to stand a little taller and met her gaze again.  
  
The elf heard Leliana and Josephine talking to her but all she felt was the spark of electricity shoot through her chest and rest in her loins. Ruki's face heated up as she tightened her thighs together and broke her gaze with the Commander. The elf's mind wandered--what that gaze would look like as he was bearing down on top of her, rutting her into a bedroll--  
  
"Ms Lavellen?"  
  
The elf cleared her throat and gazed up at Josephine. "Yes?" her throat was dry, like she ate a pound of sand, as she prayed for context of the conversation daydreaming about much better events than standing here talking. She rewind the conversation in her head. "Oh!" she exclaimed in nervous laughter. "Urm, yes! I guess I am both a sign of hope and everything that's going wrong!" She glanced around the four humans in front of her. She tugged at the collar of her shirt; when did it get so hot in here? "Urm, yes... quite the little problem I'm causing, aren't I?" She followed with more nervous giggling and: "I bet it would be much smoother if I wasn't in the Inquisition."  
  
"Let’s be honest," Cullen stated. "They would have censured us no matter what."  
   
"And need I remind you that not being here isn’t an option," Cassandra followed in a rough tone, folding her arms and quirking her brow at the elf.  
  
Leliana sat quietly for a moment, before a small smile appeared on her lips. "Perhaps there is something you can do, Lavellen," the redheaded woman placed a marker on a small village labeled "the Crossroads" in the middle of the Hinterlands. "A Chantry Cleric by the name Mother Giselle has sent word to us, asking to speak to you. She is not far, and knows those involved far better than I. Her assistance could be invaluable."  
  
Ruki's brow quirked as she folded her arms. "And why would someone from the Chantry help a declared heretic?"  
   
"I understand she is a reasonable sort," Leliana softly nodded and replied in a reassuring tone. "Perhaps she doesn’t agree with her sisters?"  
  
"Maybe so," Ruki sighed. Her eyes darted around in thought. In all honestly, she had nothing to lose. Except maybe her life. That's wasn't important at all though. Maybe they people were serious about protection her after all. She needed to trust them, she seemed to have no choice in the matter. She met the gaze of the spymaster. "Where would I find this cleric?"  
  
"You’ll find Mother Giselle tending to the wounded here in the Hinterlands," Leliana poked her finger at the marker she placed. "Near Redcliffe."  
  
Cullen interjected himself into the conversation. "Look for other opportunities to expand our influence while you’re there. We need all the friends we can get if the Chantry refuses to back us."   
  
"We need allies to extend our reach beyond this valley, and you’re better suited than anyone to recruit them. You will represent everything we stand for in the eyes of the population of Thedas. What you chose to do with this power is your own." Josephine twirled her quill at the elf. "We're putting our trust in you that your empathy wasn't for show during your stay here under our... inhospitable care."  
  
"In the meantime, let’s think of other options," Cassandra made her way to the door of the meeting room, shoving it open. "I won’t leave this all to the Herald."  
  
Ruki nodded her thanks as Cassandra returned her attention to the three humans in front of her.  
  
Cullen and Josephine seemed to have no input as Leliana took the elf gently by the arm and lead her to her side of the map. "To reiterate, Mother Giselle was last seen here in the Hinterlands outside Redcliffe," the Spymaster tapped the map as she spoke. "Tending refugees who fled the fighting between renegade templars and apostate mages." Seeming to conjure letters out of thin air, the Spymaster gave the elf several pieces of parchment. They were small in size, perhaps little messages carried by the ravens that hung about in the rafters. "My latest reports suggest that this vicious struggle between the two groups has spread into the Hinterlands, catching the refugees--and Mother Giselle--in the middle. It is vital to protect her and, if possible, restore order to the area."  
  
Ruki skimmed over the scrolls before looking up at Leliana. "What would you like me to do about that?"  
  
"What ever you must!" Leliana's tone was harder than her previous mother-like one. "If Mother Giselle dies, any hope of Chantry support dies with her. My scouts can, and will, slip past the fighting to find her and protect her with their lives."  
  
Ruki pursed her lips tightly before she nervously smiled and chuckled. "So no pressure right?" The elf gave the scrolls one more skim before gently handing them back to Leliana. "You seem to have a plan already, you don't need my permission."  
  
"Oh? But I do," Leliana smiled. "You'll be meeting up with my scouts once they can find Mother Giselle."  
  
Ruki nodded. "I'll do my best."  
  
Leliana returned the scrolls to her pocket before putting a hand softly on Ruki's arm. "And that is all we ask of you right now." The Spymaster and Ambassador gathered their belongings and took their leave, glancing back at their male colleague and giggling to themselves as the door shut.  
  
The elf returned her attention to Cullen who stared at the door, his face flushed. The Commander straightened his posture and glanced at the elf. "Shall we?"  
  
"Shall we what?" Ruki questioned. Ruki hoped for him suggestion to take her on this table but he interrupted her desires by saying:  
  
"Get to work. Your survival is important to sealing the Breach and I want to know you can defend yourself on the field."  
  
"I'll be fine!" Ruki waved her hand at the Commander's concerns as they exited the meeting room together. "You saw me fight, I can mow down a row of enemies with a snap of my fingers."  
  
"True," the Commander glanced at her with a cocky smirk. "And what of Templars? Who will have ways of nullifying your magic."  
  
Ruki choked on air as her face flushed. "Well that's when I beat them with my staff," she retorted.   
  
A sharp laugh exited the Commander as he returned his look to her. "Very well, still I believe you should learn how to defend yourself against them. Worst case scenario you have no sticks to beat your foes with." His gaze softened. "It will be a day or two before you leave Haven, until then we will--" Cullen trailed off, seeming to be listening to the commotion outside.  
  
As they were getting close to the exit of the chantry, a borderline riot caused the Commander to tense up and burst out of the Chantry door. Ruki noticed the Templars and apostates in the Inquisition were close to spilling blood, a templar drawing his sword threatening to shut his mouth when Cullen appeared between the pair like a blur, placing himself between the pair of men with a snarl on his face.   
  
"ENOUGH," he barked, all traces of his previous playfulness gone as his voice boomed through out the yard.  
  
"Knight-Captian!" the Templar sheathed his sword. "I--"  
  
"That is not my title," Cullen snarled. "We are no longer Templars, and these are no longer our charges." He jabbed a finger at the fighting Templars and mages as he scolded them like a father would his child. "We are all part of this Inquisition now!"  
  
"And what does that mean, exactly?" As if on queue, the Chancellor emerged from the riot, hands clasped and scowling at the Commander.  
  
Ruki and Cullen, seeming to be on the same brainwave, let out an exasperated sigh as the elf inched closer behind Cullen for protection. The Commander noticed the elf behind him, stiffening his posture and puffing up his chest to make himself appear larger to the Chancellor. "Back already?" he growled. "Haven't you done enough already?"  
  
"I am curious, Commander." Roderick's words dripped with malice. "How do you and this--" the Chancellor trailed off as he spotted Ruki hiding behind the Commander. "This Herald plan to restore the peace you promised to."  
  
The Commander extended his arm in front of the elf as his gaze hardened. "Of course you are," he glanced to the still lingering Templars and mages and hissed at them to return to their duties as he brought his gaze back to the Chancellor. "Templar and mage relations were already shattered, and now they blame each other for the death of the Divine. I wonder why."  
  
"This is the exact reason we need a proper authority to guide them back to order," Roderick attempted to match the Commander's ferocity. Even though Ruki was afraid, the Commander stood unphased by his bravado.  
  
Cullen glanced around mockingly, as if trying to find this so-called authority. "You?" he gestured vaguely at Roderick. "A random cleric that wasn't important enough to even be invited to the Conclave."  
  
Ruki cracked up as the Chancellor's blood boiled. "The," he sputtered. "The rebel Inquisition and it's so-called Herald of Andraste?! I think not."   
  
The small elf piped up from behind Cullen. "If you ask me, we're about as functional as any young family."  
  
"So tell me, Herald," Roderick used the term mockingly as he dared to inch closer to Cullen. "How many families are on the verge of erupting into all-out war with themselves?"  
  
"Oh yes," Cullen sneered to draw the aggression of the cleric back to him. "Because that would absolutely never happen in the Chantry."  
  
"Centuries of tradition will guide us, Commander," the Chancellor scolded. "We are not the upstart eager to turn over every apple cart."  
  
Ruki poked Cullen on the shoulder. "Please tell me why you haven't thrown him out into the snow yet."  
  
"Your Templar knows where to draw the line, and not act like an uncivilized savage like your kind!" Rodrick sneered.  
  
"My kind?!" Ruki hissed, ears twitching downwards. "Why if I--" the gentle, yet firm, hand of the Commander on Ruki's arm silenced her as Cullen continued to stare down the Chancellor.  
  
"Don't give him the satisfaction," Cullen insisted. "He's toothless; there's no point of making him a martyr because he doesn't know when to stop running his mouth. Take a good long, Lavellan. This is the prime example of what you'll face in Val Royeaux when the time comes."  
  
"I look forward to being gummed to death by gross elderly men then," the elf's voice dripped dryly with sarcasm as she inched from behind Cullen to stand at his side, finding comfort in the fact that he would grant Roderick martyrdom if he tried anything stupid.   
  
"Nothing ill will come of this elf if the Chantry deems her innocent! Which is why this should be left up to the new Divine!" Roderick hissed. "They will establish it as so."  
  
"Or will be happy to use her as a scapegoat. No one would miss an elven apostate, right?"  
  
"Urm," Ruki coughed. "I'm right here."  
  
Cullen nodded a silent apology as his attention returned to the Chancellor to be met with his finger in his face.  
  
"You think NO ONE cared about what happened! About the truth!! We all mourn for Justinia!" the Chancellor hissed.  
  
"And you won't grieve if Lavellan is conveniently swept under the carpet," Cullen growled.  
  
"Like you would, Commander."  
  
Ruki could feel the energy around Cullen shift. His stance relaxed, his gaze softened and he glanced down in thought. It made the elf wonder what was going on inside his head. Does he even care? The Commander had been nothing but kind to her today, and she appreciated it. Still, the elf had to remind herself to remain calm. That friendliness doesn't equal attraction. She broke the silence with an awkward chuckle. "Well when time comes to head to Val Royeaux, I for one hope I'm met with more open-minded individuals and not a cathedral full of Rodericks."  
  
"The stuff of nightmares," Cullen snarled.  
  
"Mock me if you will, I am certain the Maker is less than amused with you Commander," Roderick clasped his hands behind his back. He turned on his heel, pausing to glance over his shoulder at the elf. "Spend however long it takes you to get to Val Royeaux readying yourself for the blame you be rightfully assigned, elf."  
  
On that note, the Chancellor went back down the road to patrol the icy roads of Haven.  
  
The elf's gaze narrowed before a hand took her by the shoulder and steered her to the tavern. "Ignore him," Cullen sighed. "He's old and bitter like me."  
  
"Oh you're not old," Ruki chuckled. "You're what? Twenty-six?"  
  
"Twenty-seven," Cullen corrected, shaking his head in disbelief. "I've been alive for too long."  
  
"Says you," Ruki felt the heat rise to her cheeks as Cullen kept a gentle touch guide her to the tavern. She enjoyed his touch, whether it was an absentminded gesture or intentional, and coupled with the fact he was refereed to as "her Templar". Ruki could most definitely get use to that.  
  
The tavern was lively, full of people and the smell of good and ale was overpowering. The elf's stomach made an inhuman noise as Cullen motioned for someone to come over. Varric approached the pair, a smirk on his face.  
  
"On a date already?" he teased.  
  
Cullen's face screwed up as he shook his head. "I am allowed to be a gentleman, Varric," venom for the Chancellor still lingered on his words. "Keep an eye on Lavellan. You're one of the few I can trust not to bring harm to her, and her friends are few and far in between."   
  
Varric touched his chest in mock flattery. "You trust me? So I guess all it took was a boat and you--"  
  
"Don't start," Cullen hissed.  
  
"For another time then, it's a damn good story," Varric took the elf by the arm. "Don't you worry Curly, I will feed her and get her tucked into bed."  
  
"Good," Cullen nodded, folding his arms. "We begin her training in the morning. It will be rigorous."  
  
"I hope it will be," Ruki blinked as Cullen and Varric stared at her. Her face flushed. "I mean .... I am ready to train! Swords... daggers." She bumped her fist. "Woo!"  
  
Varric shook his head. "You need a drink, kid, you're so wound up over the last few days." The dwarf waved the Commander away as he lead the elf to his table. "Come, enough of this plot nonsense. Relax for a bit because you and I both know that shit is going to get serious really fast."


End file.
